Exercising and vit b12 injection

[Delilahread]

Hi, I'm due my vitb12 injection on 20th april, went out for my usual mile walk this morning, got half way round,(its up and down hills) and my legs felt so heavy I could hardly lift them, I felt exhausted and although it was mildly warm, I ended up soaking in sweat by the time I finished, does anyone else get this symptons before their injections, I've mentioned to gp before and said I think I need my injection more often, to which he replied that exercising has no bearing on how often u need your injections, is this right??

[Nackapan]

Well you know tour body.

I'm only managing half a mile still. Used to be able to cycle and walk Mike's.

I still cant manage hills . Even the slightest include sends me weaving.

Do you keep a diary?

I sometimes have a good walk o e day followed by a wobbly day.

In the current climate I hope you get tour due Injection. I would check as tiy sound tesdy fir it now.

How often do you have them?

[Delilahread in reply to Nackapan]

Hi thanks for your reply, I get injection every 12 weeks, but exercise quite a bit every day including exercise classes, around the 10 week mark become very breathless, and heavy legs and sore joints, gp seems to think that exercise doesnt use up any more vitb12 than someone who is a couch potato?, so frustrated today , I was exhausted just half way round the mile .

[Nackapan in reply to Delilahread]

That's an odd view to have. (Gp( My daughter was swimming miles and she thinks a 10 week gap would sit her better. (Usually 12) Her main symptom fatigue and heavy legs .

[Delilahread in reply to Nackapan]

Thank u, there seems to be a common theme with heavy legs and fatigue around 10 week mark , think when this is all over il go to gp armed with info and latest guidelines and see if how he response, thank you for your reply and hope your daughter keeps well

[JanD236]

Yes I feel exhausted and have heavy legs if I’m not receiving injections frequently enough.

I exercise a lot and don’t know if exercise makes me need more frequent injections. Or quite possibly it’s the fact that when I’m exercising it becomes very apparent that I’m too tired/legs are too heavy to exercise. Perhaps if I was just pottering round at home it would be less noticeable and I wouldn’t feel the need for such frequent injections.

If you’re receiving injections every 3 months I’d be pointing out to your GP that guidelines were changed a while back to say they can be given every 2 or 3 months and request them more frequently.

[Delilahread in reply to JanD236]

Hi jan, thank u for reply, u said guidelines have recently changed do u know when or how I can find out

[JanD236 in reply to Delilahread]

Hi Delilah, sorry no I don’t have a note of which guideline. If someone doesn’t come along with a reference it’s been discussed on the forum many times over the last year so, so you might be able to find it in a search.

[Delilahread in reply to JanD236]

Thanks I got them

[Nackapan in reply to Delilahread]

I think it's on the bnf guidelimes

[Delilahread in reply to Nackapan]

Thank I've now got them

[Foggyme Administrator in reply to Delilahread]

Link to British National Formulary Guidelines (BNF).

bnf.nice.org.uk/drug/hydrox...

(BNF B12 Deficiency: Hydroxocobalamin Treatment Regimes)

Your GP will have a hard copy of the BNF on their desk - if this is not the most up-to-date version it may still state injections very three months, rather than the updated version - every 2-3 months. They can check the online version for the most up-to-date prescribing advice.

👍

[Delilahread in reply to Foggyme]

Thank u, I've got them now downloaded on my fone

[Dakota17777]

Hello, I had to stop exercising when I first got my diagnoses but then I started getting my shots weekly and I can exercise with almost no limit. Exercise definitely uses your b12 and Im only able to exercise when im getting my shots weekly.

[Delilahread in reply to Dakota17777]

Thank u , it's great that ur getting urs weekly, I'm going to speak to gp when this is over and show him info I've found

[Gaudygoat]

I was in my early 40s when my symptoms started. I was fit and doing weekly parkruns... or I did before the lock-in. Prior to self-injecting I could see a clear trend where my times would drop and then pick up after my injection and then start to drop again. My legs would become very heavy and my heart would pound and I’d become breathless. I was determined to keep fit but I also found that when I picked up an injury and couldn’t train the B12 symptoms eased off and I felt much healthier. Following recovery I’d try to do what I’d always done in the past and return to fitness with some intensive training only to feel terrible with flue like symptoms for about a week and have to stop. I found In order to return I had to really gently increase my exercise. My run times dropped from 21 minutes for 5k to over 30 minutes and a feeling like my chest and head would explode and I’d always need to have a sleep in the afternoon after a run. I now inject weekly and my times have dropped back to the low 23s and still improving. It’s only my own experience but I’d say very strongly, your GP is wrong.

[Delilahread in reply to Gaudygoat]

Thank u, yes I agree when I hit the 10 week mark, my exercise class becomes like very hard work, heavy legs breathing hard, and sweating more than usual, it's the same when I walk, I have spoken to gp on several occasions and whilst he is usually a great doctor, he seems to dismiss the fact that the more you exercise the more vitb 12 your body needs to use , I thought even common sense would tell him that

[Coxeymcqueen]

I find that exercise means I need to inject more often. I inject weekly and run 3x a week as well as compete in half marathons. I was training for a marathon that should have been next weekend

[Delilahread in reply to Coxeymcqueen]

Wow that's fantastic that with weekly injections you can run those distances , I know gp said it use to be weekly injections before I started mine but had now changed to every 12 weeks, wish I could get mine weekly definitely think it would make such a difference

[Coxeymcqueen in reply to Delilahread]

I self inject and get ampules from German pharmacies and the sundries from medi save here in the UK. It’s daunting and I used to get nurse colleagues at work to help me out, but that depended on them being available. Only way to guarantee I’d be able to get a weekly jab was to do it myself.

I started out on a jab every 13 weeks and got my GP to agree to every 8 but this was because my Occupational Health team at work agreed to do my jabs and take pressure of the surgery.

When I started running 2 years ago I noticed that my usual symptoms were returning much more quickly and I started down the self injecting route; monthly at first.

I think it’s a matter of finding what works for you and we’re all different. I know some people feel hugely debilitated by their condition so I feel fortunate that I’m able to do what I xan.

If you do a google search of b12 and exercise there are plenty of articles including ones about elite athletes.

Good luck with everything

[Delilahread in reply to Coxeymcqueen]

Thank u , I will do a bit of research about athletes and vit b12 ( not saying I'm an athlete or even close 😂) but have a good exercise regime going until I hit the 10 week mark then it's like hitting brick wall , have been saying for about a year that exercise definitely uses up more for me anyway, but gp says no, so I will go in well armed this time , and again thank u

[Showgem]

I'm still on weekly injections and struggling, I can only walk between half and one mile without resting or using a walker. I've tried going longer between injections and get the same symptoms as you're having plus other symptoms if I do.

My doctor is at a loss as to why I say I need all these injections, saying "you will have so much b12 floating around by now that you should be able to go 2 - 3 months between injections" and suggested that it is the placebo effect.

I'm waiting to see a neurologist because of my ongoing symptoms so in the meantime he's very reluctantly prescribing them for me to self inject after I said I would try to gradually space them out to 2 monthly.

For me exercise, whether walking, housework, gardening etc really does make a difference.

I probably can survive on less b12 but can't live my life as I would want to, I don't understand why GPs want to give us just enough to keep us alive!

[Delilahread in reply to Showgem]

Exactly, I think drs forget that this use to be a fatal condition, so would think they would be doing everything to give us injections when we needed them , not just herd us all into one size fits all